DETERMINATION OF THE FREQUENCY OF SPORADIC AND FAMILIAL CASES OF GASTROINTESTINAL CANCERS IN WEST-AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE (2002-2005)

The illustration of gastrointestinal cancer has been changing dramatically over the past several decades. The incidence of upper gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies varies widely based on geographic location, race, and socioeconomic status. In this study the frequency of sporadic and familial cases of GI cancers in West-Azerbaijan province from 2002-2005 was determined. In this retrospective study, by reviewing medical history of 1500 patients with gastrointestinal cancer, 983 patients in whom identification of their detailed family histories was possible entered in the study. Diagnosis and classification was made using clinical and para-clinical criteria. All selected patients had biopsy specimens that were oriented, fixed, sectioned and stained by the hematoxylin and eosin technique. Results showed that 96.95 %(953) of the cases were sporadic and 3.05 %(30) of the cases were familial. 63.07% (620) were male and 36.92% (363) were female. The frequency of stomach cancer was significantly higher in males compared to the female group. The mean age ± standard errors of the patients in all sporadic and familial cases were about 61.96 ±12.6, 62.62±1.7, respectively. Our study showed that the frequency of the gastrointestinal (GI) cancers in West Azerbaijan province is higher in comparison to other parts of Iran and also there is a significant association between the developments of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and the age of the patients.